Saturday letters: Kentucky clerk, Alaska, guns

Copyright 2015: Houston Chronicle

Published 6:55 pm, Friday, September 4, 2015

Photo: Timothy D. Easley, FRE

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Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis listens to a customer following her office's refusal to issue marriage licenses at the Rowan County Courthouse in Morehead, Ky., Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015. Although her appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was denied, Davis still refuses to issue marriage licenses. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) less

Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis listens to a customer following her office's refusal to issue marriage licenses at the Rowan County Courthouse in Morehead, Ky., Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015. Although her appeal to the ... more

Photo: Timothy D. Easley, FRE

Saturday letters: Kentucky clerk, Alaska, guns

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Religious clerk

Regarding "Clerk chooses jail over deal" (Page A1, Friday), I don't agree with Kim Davis being jailed. This turns her act into one of martyrdom, and she is not a martyr or a victim.

Elected officials who do not do their job should be impeached. Issuing marriage licenses is in no way infringing on Davis' religious freedom. She is free to worship and believe whatever religion or faith she wishes. A marriage license is a civil act - not religious. I work in an industry where there are all types of people with all types of religions. Whether I agree with them or not, I cannot withhold a product or professional advice from them.

Regarding "Aim of Obama's Alaska trip to show that climate change crisis has arrived" (Page A2, Tuesday),we should see this as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

Economists agree the most effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to price carbon and thus harness the free market. British Columbia has had a carbon fee since 2008 and has reduced fossil fuel consumption by 16 percent, while use in the rest of that country has risen by 3 percent. Meantime, B.C.'s GDP growth has outperformed Canada's.

The United States should adopt a carbon fee and impose a WTO compliant border tax adjustment. Doing so would incentivize our trading partners to match us. Half of the revenue could be used to bring the corporate tax rate from 35 percent (the highest in the industrialized world) to 25 percent. The rest would go for individual tax cuts: carbon-funded tax cuts. With the cheap energy that U.S. natural gas provides, combined with a global price on carbon, our country's competitiveness would be enhanced.

Regarding "Lessons from the murders in Virginia" (Page B9, Monday), guns are not the problem until a gun gets into the hands of a nut, maniac, criminal or minor. When that happens the gun becomes very much part of the problem.

Of course, I support the Second Amendment and the right of hunters to own hunting rifles, and nobody's trying to "confiscate" guns as is the excuse not to act.

Washington and Congress need to toughen up on background checks and by so doing they might prevent a few mass shootings and save lives.